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Thursday, November 28, 2013

I first had jalapeno pepper jelly with cream cheese and crackers at a friend's dinner party. I think I'm a little behind on this aspect of Southern cooking, because I didn't really know what it was until I put a delicious bite in my mouth. The jelly had come from a small manufacturer who only sells her jellies in a small shop in downtown McKinney (that I know of), and the recipe is a closely guarded secret. I hate when people keep recipes secret, so of course I had to make my own.

Okay, so I didn't really make jelly with fresh blackberries at the end of November. I'm trying to be good about seasonality, so this lovely jelly was manufactured this past summer, at the height of berry season. It's just been sitting pretty in jars, waiting for entertaining events to be rolled out to great acclaim. You can certainly adjust the amount of jalapeños in the recipe, but as is, the jelly has a nice burn under the sweetness.

Using a spatula, press the blackberries through a fine mesh screen into a large bowl. The screen should catch the seeds, which should be discarded. Add as much blackberry flesh as possible without introducing any seeds into the liquid. Set aside.

Put the green peppers and jalapeños into a food processor fitted with the steel knife blade. Pulse the pepper mixture until the pieces are about ¼-inch on each side. Pour the pepper mixture into a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the apple cider vinegar and the sugar, stirring to combine. Heat the mixture over medium high heat until the sugar melts and the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture does not boil over.

Remove the pepper mixture from the heat and strain into the bowl with the blackberry juice. Discard the pepper pieces. Stir the blackberry mixture to combine and then return the mixture to the large pot or Dutch oven. Bring the mixture back to a boil. Add the liquid pectin and boil hard for one minute. Remove the mixture from the heat and ladle into the prepared jars. Screw on the lids and process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Let cool for 24 hours. The jelly may take up to a week to set.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

I didn't really think this pie would live up to its name. I mean, crack is pretty dang addictive. People steal from their own mothers to get more. That's a pretty big reputation to live up to. Guess what? It does. I watched adults race each other to get another slice of this pie. I've had people ask for more pie instead of saying good morning. I haven't heard of anyone stealing from their mothers yet, but it wouldn't surprise me.

This pie is basically a giant puddle of butter and sugar. If that sounds like your thing, you will love this pie. If you are diabetic, stay as far away from this pie as you can. I actually think it might put you into a diabetic coma. It's that sweet. But it might actually be worth it...

In a microwave, gently melt your butter on a medium/low setting for 15 to 30 seconds. Let it cool until it is not hot to the touch before proceeding.

Put the oat cookie, brown sugar, and salt in the food processor and pulse it on and off until the cookie is broken down into a wet sand. (If you don't have a food processor, you can fake it till you make it and crumble the oat cookie diligently with your hands.)

Transfer the cookie crumbs to a bowl and, with your hands, knead the butter and ground cookie mixture until the contents of the bowl are moist enough to knead into a ball. If it is not moist enough to do so, gently melt and additional 15 to 25 grams of butter and knead it into the oat crust mixture. Divide the oat crust evenly over two 10" pie tins (two pies is always better than one).

Using your fingers and the palm of your hand, press the oat cookie crust firmly into both 10-inch pie shells. Make sure the bottom and the walls of the pie shells are evenly covered. Use the pie shells immediately or, wrapped well in plastic, store the pie shells at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Place both pie shells on a ½ sheet pan. Divide the crack pie filling evenly over both crusts. The filling should fill the crusts ¾ way full. And bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. During this time, the crack pie will still be very jiggly, but should become golden brown on top. Know your oven, which corners bake your cookies or pies lighter or darker and take these nooks into consideration when placing your pies in the oven-use the shelf and corners that brown your baked goods best.

At 20 minutes, open the oven door and reduce the baking temperature to 325°F Depending on your oven this will take 5-10 minutes-keep the pies in the oven during this process. When the oven reads 325°F, close the door and finish baking the crack pie for 5 minutes.

At 5 minutes, the crack pie should still be jiggly in the bulls eye center, but not in the outer center circle. If the crack pie is still too jiggly, leave the pies in the oven an additional 5 minutes in the 325°F oven.

Gently take the half sheet pan of crack pies out of the oven and transfer to a rack to cool at room temperature. You can speed up the cooling process by carefully transferring the pies to the fridge or freezer if you're in a hurry. Freeze your pie for as little as 3 hours or overnight to condense the filling for a dense final product-the signature of a perfectly executed crack pie.

Wrap the crack pies if you are not serving them right away. Decorate your pies with confectioner's sugar through a fine sieve or the pinch of your fingers.

To make oat cookie:

Heat the oven to 350°F.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

On a lower speed, add egg to incorporate. Increase the speed back up to a medium high for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar granules fully dissolve and the mixture is a pale white color.

On a lower speed, add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix 60 to 75 seconds until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Your dough will still be a slightly fluffy, butter fatty mixture in comparison to your average cookie dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

Pam spray and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment or a Silpat. Plop the oat cookie dough in the center of the pan and with a spatula, spread it out until it is ¼-inch thick. The dough won't end up covering the entire pan, this is okay. Bake the oat cookie at 350°F for 15 minutes.

Cool completely before using in the crack pie recipe.

To make filling:
In a microwave, gently melt the butter down in 15-second intervals. Make sure it is not hot to the touch.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed, mix together the dry ingredients until they are evenly distributed. If you try to mix the crack pie filling in on any higher than a low speed, you will incorporate too much air in the following steps and your pie will not be dense an gooey- the essence of the crack pie.

Add the melted butter to the mixer and paddle until all the dry ingredients are moist.

Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until the white from the cream has completely disappeared into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Add the egg yolks to the mixer, paddling them in to the mixture just to combine. Be careful not to aerate the mixture.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

I'm a bit fascinated by spaghetti squash. I mean, it shreds into strings. Without the cook really having to do anything. How cool is that? And there's nothing wrong with playing with your food. There's all sorts of fun food out there to be messed with. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

But once you've got those fun strings, what do you do with them? I'm not a huge fan of spaghetti (yes, I know I'm weird), so tomato sauce is out for now. Plus, isn't that kinda boring? Spaghetti squash to make spaghetti? I've already made the squash with Moroccan flavors, but this is perfect for cold weather. Warm, creamy, cheesy. That is perfection, people.

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Place in a covered dish with a ¼-inch of water and microwave for 10 to 12 minutes. In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper, and thyme, and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color. Salt and pepper to taste.

Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl. Combine the squash, onions, sour cream, and half the Parmesan cheese together and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Place into a 450ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Do you remember eating cranberry sauce from a can for Thanksgiving? How you would open the can and then desperately try to get that gelatinous blob to come out of the can in one piece without having to tear it to pieces? And how it would sit there in the bowl, gently quivering? Yeah, that is one of the essential experiences of childhood. And now that I actually think back on it, it's very 50's and very yuck. But you can't go without cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, so that means making something to replace it.

Even though I grew up with cranberry jelly, I liked the idea of actually having cranberries in my sauce. You know, the stuff the sauce is actually made from? I thought it would give it a nice texture and take away the scary blob-like molding. So I searched my go-to cookbook (the internet), and I found a recipe that turns out a cranberry sauce that tastes a bit like the can, though richer and fresher, with none of the industrial gelatin.

Tip the cranberries into a saucepan, grate in the orange zest, then squeeze in the orange juice. Add the red currant jelly, port, and star anise, and slowly bring to a simmer.

Cook gently over a low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the cranberries have burst and the sauce thickens and looks glossy. Stir in the sugar and taste. Cool and fish out of the star anise. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator in a covered container for 1 week or for 2 months in the freezer.

Friday, November 22, 2013

I think I have a relatively unhealthy love of mushrooms. I swear, I could eat them every day and not get sick of them. There's something about the way they soak up all the delicious goodness of whatever you cook them in that just makes them a delight on the tongue. Especially when that goodness is butter and garlic. Heck, I might start putting butterandgarlic up there with bacon in making everything taste better.

I saw this recipe quite a while ago, and to this day I'm not entirely sure why I didn't make it IMMEDIATELY. I must have been confused at the time. Because this recipe makes a batch of mushrooms that make you want to lick your fingers and keep going back for more until you realize you ate the whole dang dish yourself. I didn't have capers in my refrigerator, and I didn't miss them.

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, salt, and several grinds of pepper in a 1½- to 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden and bubbly garlic sauce forms below, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately, with crusty bread on the side for swiping up the juices.

Monday, November 18, 2013

I was always that weird kid in school who didn't mind when they pulled out the tray of broccoli at lunch in the cafeteria. I even requested it from among many choices. And my friends would watch me eat, almost fascinated by the fact that I was doing it voluntarily. Hey, I liked my veggies, what can I say. And I still like almost anything made with broccoli. Anything savory. Broccoli and chocolate are probably a no-no.

My mom only made chicken divan once that I can remember, but I really liked it. (Wait a minute...why did this only make one appearance in my childhood if I liked it??) I'm not normally one for a can of cream of mushroom soup, but I just haven't found a perfect replacement for that umami MSG deliciousness, even though I know it's probably slowly growing a tumor somewhere in my body. Plus, it's fast. And since I just want to crawl in bed when I get home from work lately, I'm all about fast.

Cook the frozen broccoli according to package directions. Place the cooked broccoli in the bottom of a casserole dish or 9-inch pie dish. Top with the chicken. In a bowl, mix together the canned soup, milk, garlic powder, and Tabasco sauce. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese, then with the crackers.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

My mom used to make baked country-style ribs throughout my childhood, and while I liked the idea, they never seemed to turn out very tender. I was practically fighting off my sisters for the tender, fatty bits. For a long time I just figured that country-style ribs were tough and unpleasant. Guess what? I'm wrong.

I came across this recipe while cruising the internet and discovered where we had all gone wrong. That naughty plaid cookbook (not to name names) did not provide a long enough cooking time to get the ribs all the way to tender. These things take hours. But they are worth it. Definitely.

In a large pot, put the ribs and cover with water until it is 2 inches above the top of the meat. Sprinkle in the salt and peppercorns. Bring the water to a simmer and cook 30 minutes, spooning scum from the top of the water. Do not boil! Remove the ribs from the water with tongs and rest the meat on paper towels to dry.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan, spread the red onion slices and sprinkle with garlic bits. Place rib pieces on top of the onions, trying to keep the ribs from touching. Pour 2 cups of barbecue sauce over the ribs and spread evenly using the back of a spoon. Cover with foil and bake for 1 to 1½ hours. Remove foil, cover ribs with remaining barbecue sauce, and bake for another 30 minutes. Sprinkle with orange zest, if desired.

Saturday, November 09, 2013

So I had one lonely corncob left in my refrigerator. And it seemed a shame to throw away the last corn I would probably have until next summer. But what do you make with one ear of corn? I wanted it to be special, not just boiled. Then, since I'm on a Mexican kick lately, I thought of the corn they serve on the streets. Roasted and slathered with mayonnaise and cheese. Perfect.

I used my grill pan to sear the corn since I didn't want to get out my charcoal grill for one ear of corn. It seemed to work pretty well, but I didn't get as nice of grill marks. Surprise, surprise. I also hadn't planned ahead and bought cotija cheese, so I subbed with the Parmesan. It still turned out tasty and pleasing, and I will definitely be trying this again the next time I see some decent corn.

Rub corn with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on preheated grill or grill pan and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or to desired degree of doneness, turning occasionally. Spread each ear of corn with mayonnaise, then sprinkle with cotija cheese, cayenne pepper, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and squeeze lime juice over corn just before eating.

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

I needed a dessert for a Mexican themed lunch. Sopapillas? No way to fry them up at the right time. Churros? Same problem. Flan? To delicate and eggy. This was becoming too much of a pain. But then I realized that I could make a tres leches cake ahead of time and save the day.

I made the cake the night before and let it soak in its syrup in the refrigerator. The next morning I whipped up the cream and spread it on top. The decorations were added right before serving, and the cake spent its time almost exclusively in the refrigerator so it wouldn't melt. It turned out rich and creamy, almost like tiramisu in flavor. For a plain vanilla cake, just leave out the espresso.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch Pyrex baking dish or a nonreactive metal pan. Line the bottom of the baking dish or pan with parchment and lightly butter the parchment.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a medium bowl and the yolks in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat the yolks with ¾ cup of the sugar on medium speed until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until combined, 1 minute more.

Clean and dry the beaters and then beat the egg whites, gradually increasing the speed to high, until they reach soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining ¼ cup sugar in a stream, continuing to beat on high, until you reach firm but not dry peaks, 1 to 2 minutes more. Whisk a third of the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in a third of the egg whites with a rubber spatula. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients and egg whites, alternately, in two more batches each, until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish or pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment, and let cool completely.

Return the cake to the baking dish or pan (the cake will soak up more of the liquid if returned to the pan it was baked in), or invert it onto a rimmed platter.

Soak the cake:

In a medium bowl, stir together the condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, espresso, and salt until the condensed milk is well blended.

With a toothpick, prick the cake to the bottom in ½-inch intervals. Pour the soaking liquid slowly over the cake, starting at the edges and pausing to let it soak in before adding more. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cake is well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Top the cake:

In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium speed. When it begins to thicken, slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat just until it holds firm peaks, 3 to 4 minutes (be careful not to overbeat). Spread the whipped cream all over the top of the cake. Decorate with shaved chocolate, raspberries, and mint, if desired. Serve.

You can soak the cake in the milk mixture up to a day ahead and top it up to 2 hours ahead.

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

I had this salad for the first time years ago at a potluck at my office. At first I was a bit suspicious. I mean, ramen noodles are an ingredient. Only recently did I figure out that this salad is actually a thing in Hawaii. I guess that makes sense. I mean, they also idolize Spam.

This is a perfect winter salad, since cabbage pretty much never goes out of season. The almonds and ramen and breadsticks give a nice crunch, and the black sesame seeds make it interesting. This doesn't last long though, so make sure you add the dressing right before you serve it. And if you think you might not need it all, hold half back and only use half of the dressing. I promise, it can get slimy the next day.

Sunday, November 03, 2013

My mom has had a container of crab in her refrigerator for a while, and almost every time I call her, she asks what should be done with it. Finally I told her that I would come over and make crab cakes (and eat them of course) since that seemed to be what she was implying.

These babies make for a pretty delicious dinner. Unless you're my dad who hates crab. Then you get a steak, and my mother claims part of it so that she can have surf and turf. I can't wait to get married if this is how it works.

Mini Crab Cakes with Dijon Sauce

Crab
cakes adapted from Family Circle
magazine

1 (6- to 8-ounce)
package fresh lump crabmeat

1 large egg,
slightly beaten

6 tablespoons fine
dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons
finely chopped carrot

2 tablespoons
finely chopped celery

1 tablespoon
finely chopped green onion (green part only)

2 tablespoons
mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¾ teaspoon dry
mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon bottled
hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons
cooking oil

Dijon Sauce

In a medium mixing
bowl, combine egg, 4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, carrot, celery, onion,
mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, and hot pepper sauce. Gently stir in crabmeat, just until combined. With wet hands, gently shape mixture into small
patties, a little over an inch in diameter.
Place remaining crumbs in a shallow dish and coat both sides of the
patties with crumbs.

In a large
skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add
crab cakes. Cook about 3 minutes on each
side or until golden brown and heated through.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges and Dijon Sauce.

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